Bird-of-Prey
In starship classification, a Bird-of-Prey was a type of smaller warship. Generally they resembled large predatory birds. Klingon Bird-of-Prey The Klingon Bird-of-Prey was a type of warship utilized by the Klingon Empire serving the Klingon Defense Forces from the late 23rd century into the late 24th century. This type of craft, initially descended from its counterpart from a century earlier, was one of the most versatile warships employed by the Empire, serving a variety of mission roles, including that of a scout, raider, patrol ship, and cruiser. History The Bird-of-Prey dates back to the mid-22nd century, when they were first encountered by Earth Starfleet, during a short confrontation on the edge of the Sol system in 2153. Starfleet continued to possess knowledge of the Bird-of-Prey during the 2280s. Hikaru Sulu was among those familiar with the class at that time, since he was capable of visually identifying a Bird-of-Prey, as well as being familiar with its crew complement. A well-publicized encounter with a Bird-of-Prey occurred in 2285, when a Bird-of-Prey commanded by Kruge conducted a mission to uncover the secrets of Project Genesis. After acquiring the information, the ship destroyed the Merchantman, and later the USS Grissom, before facing off against the USS Enterprise in orbit of the Genesis Planet. Kruge ultimately lost the battle, and his ship, allowing James T. Kirk the privilege of Starfleet capturing its first Klingon Bird-of-Prey. This event was well documented in the events leading up to the court martial of Admiral Kirk, and the ship was thereafter utilized for time traveling back to Earth's 20th century. A few years later, the first Bird-of-Prey to ever breach the Great Barrier was commanded by Captain Klaa in 2287. In 2293 at least one prototype Bird-of-Prey was known to exist which had the unique ability to fire torpedoes when the cloaking device was engaged. This vessel was commanded by General Chang and used to assassinate Chancellor Gorkon of the Klingon Empire while implicating the Enterprise crew of the crime. This Bird-of-prey was destroyed at the first Khitomer conference by the USS Enterprise and USS Excelsior. The first Klingon Bird-of-Prey to ever be captured by Cardassia was commandeered in 2372 by Gul Dukat. For nearly a century, the Bird-of-Prey proved to be a rugged, sturdy design that saw continuous use. In that they were much like their Federation counterparts the Excelsior- and Miranda Class starships, whose usefulness out-lived contemporaries such as the Constitution Class cruiser. Despite the age of the Bird-of-Prey design by the 2370s, the ships fought valiantly during the Dominion War and featured in every battle of the conflict. Though the Bird-of-Prey design had been in service for nearly one hundred years, constant upgrades ensured that the ships were still a powerful and capable front-line warship. In the hands of a seasoned and aggressive commander, a Bird-of-Prey could engage multiple Dominion fighters and expect to come out victorious. They were considered much more agile than K't'inga-class cruisers, allowing them to be better suited for some tasks. Technical Data Tactical Systems The Bird-of-Prey of the mid-24th century was said to be equipped with the Klingon Empire's "best weapons" and "finest warriors". While typically designated for peaceful missions, they were always "prepared to go into battle instantly." The typical offensive arsenal of the Bird-of-Prey included twin forward-firing wing-mounted disruptor cannons, dual photon torpedo launchers – positioned fore and aft – and deflector shields. By the 24th century, at least one type was armed with phasers, rather than disruptors, and possessed a weapons range that exceeded 40,000 kilometers. The Bird-of-Prey was considered to be "no match" for the Federation's Galaxy Class during the latter 24th century; the Bird-of-Prey was also significantly inferior to the Federation's Defiant Class as well. Despite this, the Bird-of-Prey proved more than a match for several other contemporary vessels, including the Empire's very own Vor'cha Class cruiser, as was demonstrated at the outbreak of the Klingon Civil War, when two Birds-of-Prey were nearly successful in defeating a Vor'cha-class in an ambush attack, before being repelled by a third Bird-of-Prey. All three of these ships had their wings fixed in the upward position, which would indicate that these were probably the larger K'vort Class. Cloaking System Birds-of-Prey were typically outfitted with a cloaking device – the key to the ship's success in battle. The first 23rd-century models' cloak could permit the use of communications and/or the ship's transporters, but its operation could not be maintained while the ship used its weapons systems. Also, the cloak left an "energy surge" that could be picked up on close-range sensor scans as a "distortion", tipping off an observant opponent to the vessel's presence. There was approximately two seconds of vulnerability from the time a Bird-of-Prey's cloak began to engage or disengage and the raising or dropping of the ship's shields. In the mid 2290s, an advanced Bird-of-Prey prototype was developed that could fire weapons while cloaked and did not display the characteristic "energy surge". However, that model's cloak could not mask "neutron radiation" or high-energy plasma, such as the exhaust from the ship's impulse engines. Category:Klingon Classes